By T. Scott Boatright
A pair of Lincoln Parish college football players upped their antes this week as Louisiana Tech defensive lineman Milton Williams and Grambling State offensive lineman David Moore showcased their abilities to NFL scouts during Pro Days held at their respective universities.
Both players showed they are worthy of making an impact in the trenches for NFL teams during their 2021 rookie seasons.
Three weeks ago during an earlier Pro Day workout at the training facility Exos in Frisco, Texas, 75 miles northwest of his hometown of Crowley, Texas, the 6-3, 284-pound Williams turned in near record performances for potential NFL defensive tackles in both the three-cone drill and short shuttle.
He bettered his performances in both of those drills in front of more than 55 scouts representing all 23 NFL teams at Tech’s Pro Day on Thursday at Joe Aillet Stadium, running a 6.87 in the three-cone and 4.25 in the 20-yard shuttle. During his Exos Pro Day, Williams ran a 7.04 in the three cone and 4.34 in the 20-yard shuttle.
“Those two numbers really show off the quickness that I have,” Williams said. “There were some doubts that I can’t bend. I don’t know where that came from, but they’re not going to say it anymore.”
“I knew that I was going to be the fastest defensive tackle in this draft class, no question about it. No defensive tackle anywhere was going to run faster than me. I broke the record three weeks ago and I broke it again today. That’s how confident I am in my work ethic and I put that on display today.”
Williams’ goal on the bench press was 35 reps, but he ended up one shy of that mark with 34.
“I reached a couple of my goals,” Williams said. “I didn’t get the bench – I really wanted that one bad. I fell one rep short. But overall, I think I surprised myself a little bit out there, so it was a pretty good day.”
Williams showed solid quickness and leg strength for a big man to close out his Pro Day, running a 4.61 40-yard dash while turning in a 38.5-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-1 broad jump.
Before Tech’s Pro Day, many analysts had Williams pegged as a third-round draft choice at best but after Thursday’s performance, some NFL Draft gurus felt that Williams had increased his value and moved into a second-round selection range.
Williams said he’s had multiple contacts with every NFL team over the last few weeks with the Dallas Cowboys showing strong interest with multiple scouts on hand Thursday while the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings are also said to be looking hard at Williams. Defensive line coaches from the Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Cincinnati Bengals took turns putting Williams through drills on Thursday.
“Since third grade I’ve been following the NFL for a long time and this has always been my dream to even be on this level,” Williams said. “Talking to these teams gets me excited for what’s to come and I’m just glad I finally made it to this stage.”
Following his breakout week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, Grambling offensive lineman David Moore immediately began working for his Pro Day, aiming to shed about 15 pounds and enhance his draft status.
He nearly reached that goal, dropping 14 pounds, down to 336, and turned in some top quality marks during GSU’s Pro Day held Wednesday night at Eddie G. Robinson Stadium.
Moore’s 40-yard dash time was a fleet 5.14, and he had 31 reps of the benchpress. His three-cone drill time was 8.01 and he had a shuttle time of 4.87. Moore recorded a 27.5 vertical leap and a broad jump of 8-9.
His other measurements: height of 6-1 and a half, arm length of 34 1/8 inches, an 81 5/8 inch wingspan, and a 9 1/8-inch hand size.
Milton Williams photos by T. SCOTT BOATRIGHT/David Moore photo courtesy of GSUTigers.com
